Abstract: A computer-implemented method of simulating the propagation of an audio signal between a source and receiver in a virtual environment is disclosed. The method comprising: simulating reflections of an audio signal within the virtual environment to determine a plurality of audio paths between the source and receiver; determining an input audio signal to be propagated between the source and receiver by the plurality of audio paths; determining one or more audio paths having a delay that causes interference in the input audio signal; applying an adjustment to the determined audio paths to reduce the interference in the audio signal caused by the one or more audio paths. In this way, an audio simulation may be adapted according to the specific audio signal to reduce phase artefacts.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of simulating the propagation of an audio signal between an audio source and receiver in a virtual environment, the virtual environment comprising one or more sound-reflective objects, the method comprising: simulating a plurality of audio paths for propagating the audio signal between the audio source and receiver within the virtual environment, one or more of the simulated audio paths comprising a reflection from a sound reflective object; and for one or more of the audio paths simulated, applying a deviation of the effective simulated position of one or more of the audio source, receiver and sound reflective object within the virtual environment, where the effective simulated position is used to determine a path delay associated with the simulated audio path.

Abstract: A computer implemented method of simulating audio signals in a virtual environment, wherein the virtual environment comprises a first room comprising an audio source, a second room comprising an audio receiver, and a third room in-between the first and second rooms, the method comprising: simulating the propagation of an audio signal in the first room and outputting the simulated audio signal to the third room; modifying the simulated audio signal by a predetermined function; generating a modified audio signal and outputting the modified audio signal to the second room.

Abstract: Described herein is a computer-implemented method for decorrelating a set of simulated audio signals in a virtual environment, the method comprising: obtaining a set of decorrelation filters; determining a set of simulated audio signals to be decorrelated; selecting a subset of decorrelation filters from the set of decorrelation filters which are suitable for decorrelating the set of simulated audio signals, wherein the selection is based on a computed combination metric, the combination metric comprising a measure of decorrelation provided by a combination of filters within the set of decorrelation filters; and applying the selected subset to the simulated audio signals.

Abstract: The application provides a computer-implemented method for simulating a reflected audio path in a virtual environment, the virtual environment comprising a source, a receiver, an obstacle, and a sound-reflective boundary, the reflected audio path associated with reflection at the sound-reflective boundary, and the method comprising: simulating, by an image-source method, the reflected audio path between the source and the receiver, the image-source method comprising: generating, by mirroring the source in the sound-reflective boundary, a mirror image source, and determining a simulated reflected audio path along a line segment between the receiver and the mirror image source; generating, by mirroring the obstacle in the sound-reflective boundary, a mirror image obstacle; performing a line-of-sight check between the receiver and the mirror image source; and, when at least one of the obstacle and the mirror image obstacle lies along the line segment between the mirror image source and the receiver, performing a

Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes receiving circuitry to receive graphics data for at least a portion of a virtual environment, the graphics data including a plurality of virtual objects, a machine learning model trained to output data indicative of an object classification for one or more of the virtual objects in dependence upon the graphics data, assignment circuitry to assign one or more of the virtual objects to one or more virtual object groups in dependence upon the object classification for one or more of the virtual objects, where the virtual objects assigned to a same virtual object group have a same object classification, and control circuitry to share first interaction data associated with a first virtual object assigned to a virtual object group with a second virtual object assigned to the virtual object group to thereby permit use of the first interaction data for the second virtual object in response to a user interaction with the second virtual object in the virtual environment.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for decorrelating a set of simulated audio signals in a virtual environment is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: obtaining a first set of decorrelation filters; evaluating the first set of decorrelation filters to determine a similarity metric representing the similarity between the first set of decorrelation filters; if the similarity metric is above a predetermined threshold, regenerating the set of decorrelation filters so as to reduce the similarity metric; and applying the regenerated set of decorrelation filters to the simulated audio signals.

Abstract: A system comprising a feedback device comprising one or more elements operable to generate an output in response to an input from a processing device, a microphone operable to capture one or more audio inputs, an input detection unit operable to detect one or more inputs to the feedback device from the processing device, and a response generation unit operable to generate a response to the detected input in dependence upon the input and at least a distance between an element associated with the corresponding output and the microphone.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes input circuitry to receive audio data for a plurality of respective dialogue recordings for a video game, classification circuitry comprising one or more machine learning models to receive at least a portion of the audio data for each dialogue recording and trained to output classification data indicative of a quality classification of a dialogue recording in dependence upon one or more properties of the audio data for the dialogue recording, and storage circuitry to store identification data for one or more of the plurality of dialogue recordings in dependence upon the classification data.

Abstract: A system for determining the impulse response of an environment, the system comprising an audio emitting unit operable to emit a predetermined sound in the environment, an audio detection unit operable to record the sound output by the audio emitting unit, and an impulse response generation unit operable to identify an impulse response of the environment in dependence upon a frequency response of the audio emitting unit and/or the audio detection unit, and a difference between the predetermined sound and the recorded sound.

Abstract: A method comprises generating a first environment representation for rendering a video representation of a virtual environment; and generating a second environment representation for rendering an audio output at a virtual listening position within the virtual environment in response to sounds generated by one or more virtual sound sources within the virtual environment; in which the first and second environment representations comprise respective different geometrical representations of the virtual environment; in which the step of generating the second environment representation comprises: generating a starting version of the second environment representation; and modifying the starting version of the second environment representation.

Abstract: An audio personalisation method for a user, to reproduce an area-based or volumetric sound source, includes the steps of, for a head related transfer function ‘HRTF’ associated with the user, smoothing HRTF coefficients relating to peaks and notches in the HRTF's spectral response, responsive to the size of the area or volume of the sound source; filtering the sound source using the smoothed HRTF for the notional position of the sound source; and outputting the filtered sound source signal for playback to the user.

Abstract: A system for positioning objects within an environment includes: an input unit operable to receive data representative of at least a portion of an environment comprising one or more features associated with the environment; an object determining unit operable to identify, for one or more objects, one or more features associated with each respective object, and operable to determine which of the one or more objects are to be positioned within the environment; and an object positioning unit operable to position the one or more determined objects within the environment in dependence upon at least one of the features associated with the environment and at least one of the features associated with each respective determined object, where the object positioning unit is operable to utilise a machine learning model, trained using one or more examples of one or more other objects positioned within at least a portion of one or more other environments in dependence upon at least one feature associated with each respecti

Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes receiving circuitry to receive graphics data for at least a portion of a virtual environment, the graphics data including a plurality of virtual objects, a machine learning model trained to output data indicative of an object classification for one or more of the virtual objects in dependence upon the graphics data, assignment circuitry to assign one or more of the virtual objects to one or more virtual object groups in dependence upon the object classification for one or more of the virtual objects, where the virtual objects assigned to a same virtual object group have a same object classification, and control circuitry to share first interaction data associated with a first virtual object assigned to a virtual object group with a second virtual object assigned to the virtual object group to thereby permit use of the first interaction data for the second virtual object in response to a user interaction with the second virtual object in the virtual environment.

Abstract: A system comprising an input device comprising one or more elements operable to generate an output in response to an input from a processing device, a microphone operable to capture one or more audio inputs, an input detection unit operable to detect one or more inputs to the input device from the processing device, and a response generation unit operable to generate a response to the detected input in dependence upon the input and at least a distance between an element associated with the corresponding output and the microphone.

Abstract: A system comprising a feedback device comprising one or more elements operable to generate an output in response to an input from a processing device, a microphone operable to capture one or more audio inputs, an input detection unit operable to detect one or more inputs to the feedback device from the processing device, and a response generation unit operable to generate a response to the detected input in dependence upon the input and at least a distance between an element associated with the corresponding output and the microphone.

Abstract: A system for determining the impulse response of an environment, the system comprising an audio emitting unit operable to emit a predetermined sound in the environment, an audio detection unit operable to record the sound output by the audio emitting unit, and an impulse response generation unit operable to identify an impulse response of the environment in dependence upon a frequency response of the audio emitting unit and/or the audio detection unit, and a difference between the predetermined sound and the recorded sound.

Abstract: A system for determining prioritisation values for two or more sounds within an audio clip includes: a feature extraction unit operable to extract characteristic features from the two or more sounds, a feature combination unit operable to generate a combined mix comprising extracted features from the two or more sounds, an audio assessment unit operable to identify the contribution of one or more of the features to the combined mix, a feature classification unit operable to assign a saliency score to each of the features in the combined mix, and an audio prioritisation unit operable to determine relative priority values for the two or more sounds in dependence upon the assigned saliency scores for each of one or more features of the sounds.

Abstract: A method comprises generating a first environment representation for rendering a video representation of a virtual environment; and generating a second environment representation for rendering an audio output at a virtual listening position within the virtual environment in response to sounds generated by one or more virtual sound sources within the virtual environment; in which the first and second environment representations comprise respective different geometrical representations of the virtual environment; in which the step of generating the second environment representation comprises: generating a starting version of the second environment representation; and modifying the starting version of the second environment representation.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes input circuitry to receive audio data for a plurality of respective dialogue recordings for a video game, classification circuitry comprising one or more machine learning models to receive at least a portion of the audio data for each dialogue recording and trained to output classification data indicative of a quality classification of a dialogue recording in dependence upon one or more properties of the audio data for the dialogue recording, and storage circuitry to store identification data for one or more of the plurality of dialogue recordings in dependence upon the classification data.